


The Hour of Twilight

by epsilonAbsol, OneBecomesTwo



Series: The Ravioverse [7]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22298440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epsilonAbsol/pseuds/epsilonAbsol, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneBecomesTwo/pseuds/OneBecomesTwo
Summary: Despite efforts to avoid revealing any Twili presence in Hyrule, circumstances force Shade to show himself before the Links. The Hero of Twilight, particularly, is interested in this lingering connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.
Series: The Ravioverse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1404166
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	The Hour of Twilight

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't posted anything other than lore in a while, so here's a wild change of pace. I've barely written a Link before, but here's one foray into that mess, I hope I didn't get him TOO out of character lol. As always, a big thanks to Velia for being quality control and Ammy for being the person who helped me make sure I got Twilight's personality at least pretty okay!
> 
> For anyone curious and not already familiar, you can learn more about Shade and the other Ravios [here!](https://ravioverse.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I hope you like it!

In the realm of the Twili, change was gradual. It often occurred so slowly that one scarcely knew that it was happening at all. Save for such unavoidable or unforeseeable things as death or treason, of course, all else was fairly placid, like undisturbed waters.

During the few trips that his troupe of adventurers had made there, Shade had learned that this world - the one that his queen had sought help from in their hour of need - was _far_ from such stagnancy.

The odd, dilapidated manor that the Hero of Twilight had led them to was especially so. Not only was there the shift from biting chill to inviting warmth, but even as they trekked through the snow, the wind changed from hardly a whisper to a howling gale at a second's notice. Shade may have been concealing his presence in the Hero of Space's shadow, and thus less susceptible to the harshness of the elements, but he was still aware of their effects.

Vex had seemed content to follow Shade's example during that time, though he may have also simply been hiding from his counterpart as well; yet another commonality between them, despite their differences in reasoning. That desire to be apart from the group of Hylians was, however, what led the two of them to slip away from that cozy foyer. Empyrean and Viola could handle the others as long as they were accompanying the Hylians; he simply needed to ensure that Vex didn't find himself in too much trouble.

A stellar performance he'd made of _that._

The two of them had simply been wandering on the crumbling upper portions of the courtyard, discussing their respective forms of magic, when a lull in the wind allowed him to hear a sound like metal striking stone. Vex gasped mid-sentence, then swore breathlessly as he seemed to slowly recognize the long, heavy icicle that had pierced his abdomen. They both turned to see the tall, skeletal ice monster already starting to create another javelin– one identical to the one already buried in Vex's lower back.

If Shade had allowed him, the boy likely would have launched himself at the monster– injuries and all. He heard his breathless curses turn into a low, wordless growl, but before Vex could aggravate the wound further, the Twili grabbed his shoulder and teleported _both_ of them out of danger.

Their sudden reappearance in the foyer startled everyone, which was to be expected regardless of circumstances, but there was a more pressing matter than their mere _shock_ at the moment. Vex stumbled forward a step, placing a hand over the place the javelin had emerged, his growl of rage diminishing to little more than a pained hiss.

"A potion!" Shade demanded. "Do any of you have one?"

To their credit, several Hylians began a hasty search for healing potions just as the Lorellens did. As he kept Vex from falling over, he couldn't help noticing that the Hero of Twilight hadn't moved _or_ stopped staring at him. Shade chose to ignore him for the time being, certain that there would be time enough for a discussion once _this_ crisis had been handled.

An hour later saw the javelin removed, Vex sleeping off the ordeal after the potion had been administered, and Shade back outside, this time on the ground level, under what little remained of a covered walkway. He entirely expected the sound of snow crunching under boots, though that did little to ease his discomfort regarding the conversation that was doubtlessly bound to follow.

"You're Twili." Shade finally acknowledged the Hero of Twilight with nothing more than a glance, prompting him to continue. "How? The mirror was destroyed. Midna broke the connection between the two worlds, so how are _you_ here?"

Shade sighed, expecting this as well. "It appears that there _are_ other ways to travel between them. Ones that neither her highness nor I nor _anyone_ knew of." When the hero inhaled like he was about to speak, Shade cut him off with a sharp look. "Do not ask me to tell you about them. I will not."

_"Why?"_

"I may not know her exact reasoning, but Princess Midna deemed that this world of light ought not to bother or be bothered by the realm of twilight. It is not my place to go against her judgment so brazenly as to show you how to return to our realm."

"You don't want to go against her wishes, yet here _you_ are. Doesn't being here at all count as going against her?"

"Not when something may well threaten _both_ of our worlds and she doesn't want to be caught by surprise, no."

_"Then why did she do it?"_ The hero seemed tense, clenching a fist tightly as he spoke through gritted teeth. "If she thought there might be some threat that she'd have to send _you_ to fight, _why destroy the mirror?"_

Shade fought the urge to sigh again, swallowing his growing impatience to explain, "Because she did not _know_ about the threat. We may have magic, but I'll have you know we cannot see the future. She had no reason to believe there would ever be a need to return here, nor you there."

At that, whatever anger the hero seemed to be holding onto abated to palpable disappointment. It was something he clearly wished to hide, but his eyes were rather expressive, and Shade was quite adept at reading the atmosphere. The hero muttered some lame excuse and turned to leave.

"She speaks highly of you."

He stopped in his tracks, staring wordlessly at Shade, who continued as though nothing had changed. "Once we learned that the Usurper had been defeated, she told several of her advisors - myself included - about the appearance of the Divine Beast, who so happened to be a hero from this land, not our own. You saved my home as well as yours, and for that I do wish to express my thanks."

There were a few seconds of silence, while the hero struggled to formulate a response, but eventually simply said, "It was the right thing to do."

"Perhaps. But it was still a feat that no Twili would have been able to achieve on our own." Shade hesitated, unsure what consequences may arise from what he was about to propose. "I still cannot tell you how to access the Twilight, nor can I bring you there myself. But… perhaps I could deliver a message the next time I return."

Blue eyes widened, and Shade allowed the offer to hang in the air as the hero seemed to search him for any trace of deceit. Once satisfied that there was none, he asked, in a jarringly vulnerable tone, "Really?"

A simple nod was Shade's only response to the question, "Find me once you have composed your message." A wry smile crossed his face, "I shouldn't be difficult to spot, now that there's little point in hiding myself."

That won a quiet huff of mild amusement from the hero, which did wonders for the remaining tension in the air and Shade's shoulders. To his surprise, however, as they returned to their companions, the hero asked, "You said you were one of Midna's advisors. You know her well, then?"

"Fairly well, I should think. I knew her prior to her confirmation as monarch and have aided her in handling a variety of problems since. She may be our ruler, but she can be… impetuous, at times."

"That's one word for it."

Once back in the warmth of the foyer, Shade and the Hero of Twilight's conversation continued for a while - though it seemed to center mostly on Shade's past encounters with the princess. He obliged, though he noted the fondness in the hero's expression as he listened.

Just before the two groups of adventurers separated again, a roll of paper tied shut with twine was handed to Shade. The hero thanked him, which Shade acknowledged with a cordial nod. There was no further exchange between himself and the Hero of Twilight after that. Their business was concluded - at least for the time being - and the letter safely stashed away in the inter-dimensional pocket that Shade kept everything of importance in.

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the group - most notably Sketch and Compass - were wrapping up their own farewells in tandem, and it wasn’t long before the two groups were heading off in different directions. The Ravios, however, did not have to travel far; only enough to put distance from the Links and for Warp to activate his rift-creating machine without attracting their notice.

After all, Shade _had_ warned them not to allow the Hero of Twilight in particular to learn how they traveled between worlds.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
